KNOWING
by Fernstrike
Summary: *ABANDONED - this is why story is listed as 'complete'* When WARRIORS addict Ella is changed from Twoleg to warrior, she knows what will happen to the clans: but she can't tell them. In the face of danger, read as she finds courage, acceptance and love as all hell breaks loose.
1. Encounter

**HI! This is an edited version of the original. After my editor checked it out, I realised there was like a bazillion errors, soooo...here they are, all fixed!**

**NOTE: I drew inspiration for this story from a fanfic posted on the **_**warriors**_** forums. I thank the author for his/her valuable contribution to my story. **

**DISCLAIMER: **_**Warriors**_** and the characters, places and events therein belong solely to Erin Hunter (and Harper Collins, I think). I only hold the copyright of the characters Ella Fallow and Echofall, and the events and relations surrounding them in the story.**

**This takes place in the middle of **_**Long Shadows**_** from the **_**Power of Three**_** series. Please do not read on if you haven't read that far. SOME EVENTS AND CHARACTERS HAVE BEEN ADAPTED FOR THE SAKE OF THE STORY. (I had to lay down these notes so I don't get marked for copyright infringement ;D even though that doesn't make sense cuz this is a fanfic site but WHATEVER)**

I'd been a Twoleg for as long as I could remember. My name was Ella Fallow. I had brown hair and green eyes and I was born on the 17th of November. My parents died yesterday. In a horrible car crash. The forensic investigators thought the ash of the car was the ash of my body. So basically everyone I know thinks that I don't exist anymore. Because my only family doesn't.

If you _must _know, I was a _Warriors _addict. I'd been at it for years. I knew every character that had ever lived, every event that had ever been, by heart. Reading was my only consolation; so I let _Warriors_ run at me with open arms. I dove in. In my empty house, I found sanctuary. Among the dust motes I found peace, and grey tranquility enveloped me as I sank deeper and deeper...into myself

Then one day, I took a walk in the woods.

It was coming on dusk and the last golden rays of sunlight pierced the leafy green canopy. I watched slivers of silver dust motes waltz among the trees and ferns, watched as nature quieted down and left a gleaming gold haven. Above, the cloud cover was ebbing, giving way to a darkening sky. I sighed as a single warrior of StarClan appeared in the gathering indigo. It's small, sharp light was merely to let you know it was there. That was reassuring. I still had my warriors to give me solace. It was then that I first heard the sound.

It was gentle, and thin at first, but soon it became louder. It sounded like silver being scratched, or like rain pattering on glass. A gentle tinkling broke into song behind it and instantly I was swallowed in an abyss of nothingness; the stench of death alive in my nostrils soon replaced by cold, fresh air. I opened my eyes to the same forest, but it was tinted with hues of black, white and silver. I was in a clearing, with a low rise on one side that sloped down along the edges of the scoop, melting into the lower forest. The ground was hard, packed soil, with a few grass stems poking out of it. But what caught my attention, what blanked out my focus, was who I saw. Before me stood three cats, their coats glossy and glimmering with starshadow. Their colours stood out around the beautifully bleak world. I knew who they were instantly.

"Bluestar," I murmured, bowing my head respectfully. The StarClan warrior padded up to me on silent paws. She pressed her nose into my head fur, with a feeling like I was touching something both hot and cold at once. Wait - head fur? I opened my eyes...on tortoiseshell paws. "You may have noticed," said Bluestar, in a voice both at once maternal and commanding, "That you are no longer human." I blinked in acceptance. Bluestar lifted her head off me and gazed it me with time-hardened eyes. Her features were defined vividly in the half light. "You have been changed into a cat, for you are destined to aid The Three in their quest.

"We need you for this; there are many questions left unsaid and unanswered - and you will help the clans cope." All this while she had fixed me with her spellbinding blue gaze. I dipped my head i mutual understanding. But inside, I was churning. So many things were flitting about in my head, fighting for room. The clans, StarClan, warriors, The Three...and all that while my past haunting me. Suddenly I didn't feel so at peace among the starry spirits.

"To help you in your endeavour, we are bestowing on you a gift: you will be given three lives, one from each of us. I am certain you are familiar with the ceremony?" She said the last part in a lighter voice. And what could I do, but nod acceptance? "Very well then." With a graceful sweep of her tail, she summoned a long haired grey she-cat to the clearing. Her amber gaze was brimmed with hope. "Yellowfang," I breathed, dipping my head in awe.

I held much respect and admiration for her. She seemed to sense that, for she purred,"I came willingly, to give you a life; it will aid you greatly on your quest." Yellowfang settled her scarred muzzle where Bluestar's had been just moments earlier. "With this life, I give you strength," she murmured. "Use to help you cope even in the darkest moments, and to endure the trials ahead." I felt a new energy surged through me. It was so intense, so lively and uplifting, I hardly felt the spasm of pain till the last moment, when, like a warm current, it surged through me, chilling, lifting the hair along my spine and rippling through my body with jarring force. I was left gasping, staggering on unsteady, numb paws, as Yellowfang drew away. "Take care," she whispered, before joining Bluestar at the side of the clearing.

Now a slender tortoiseshell walked up to me. The light turned the white patches of her coat silver, and her leafy green eyes shined with happiness. The happiness seemed to radiate as she picked up my thought of identification. _Spottedleaf_."The time has come," she breathed in a voice that seemed both beautiful and lethal. "I wish you much luck on your task." She lay her muzzle softly on my forehead, and whispered, "With this life I give you love. Use your heart to guide you when all else fails. Place your trust in all that you care for." I knew what was coming, though I could never have known how intense it would be. I could never know till it happened to me. And then: the pain hit me like a tidal wave. It seared at my skin and ached at my heart. The pain of guarding, even the pain of needing; it stormed straight through my body. As it ebbed, pulsing and throbbing, I drew in a painful breath, gasping as the silvery air of StarClan filtered through my choked lungs. I felt like collapsing, but then I remembered: if I were a leader I would have had to endure this seven times more. But, as I was, I just had one more spasm to survive. I could definitely hold on. I had to. For ThunderClan.

Purring, Yellowfang backed away to the side of the clearing. Now it was Bluestar's turn.

She padded up to me, and rested her muzzle gently between my ears. "With this life," she breathed, "I give you faith. Trust your judgment, and know that we are always here, watching over you." Almost at once I felt a warm, buzzing sensation. I was safe and free. I could release myself, in full comfort. Then I felt firm. I knew my task. I knew what I had been destined to do. And I knew I would do it. The feelings combined. I felt like I was floating on air to where I was meant to be, and what I was meant to do, and at that moment I knew that I had the gifts of all three lives, and I would use them each as I had to. As the feeling faded away, Bluestar whispered, "Ella, you are destined for great things. I know you will help ThunderClan, and give your body and soul to defend them, from everything you can. We place our trust solely in you." She stepped back, and Yellowfang and Spottedleaf joined her in the middle of the clearing. "But first," she said, voice firm and brisk once again, "We would like to honour you with something."

I gasped inwardly, heartbeat quickening. What could be more honourable to receive than three new lives? "You are no longer Ella," she said. "I call upon my fellow clanmates and ancestors," she called, and I thought I saw eyes, gleaming on the periphery. "Look upon this cat. She has endured many trials so far and has many more to come. She has learned the ways of the warrior code, and commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Ella," she said, beckoning me forward. I could hardly move as I shakily padded up to her. Bluestar rested her muzzle above my eyes. "From this day forth, you shall be known as Echofall." She stepped back eyes gleaming. "All of StarClan wish you luck on your endeavour." And as I was once again swallowed by darkness, I thought I heard, on the edge of sound, Yellowfang breathe, "And now we wait."

I woke groggily, and as I blinked sleep out of my eyes, I tried to take in my surroundings. I was my a stream, near a clump of heather. Below me I could see the stars glimmering on the surface of a lake. Looking to my right, further in from the stream, I saw woods. Looking left, moorland. I was on my paws in an instant. I was on ThunderClan's lake territory! Looking up, I saw the moon, full and bloated in the inky sky. It was just coming on moonhigh.

Leaping the stream in a single bound, I raced down the moorland and onto the pebbly lake shore. Using all my strength, I ignored my screaming muscles, racing and racing till I found what I was looking for. I had to get there, now; before it was over. I leapt quietly onto the tree bridge, trying to remember how the books had said the warriors crossed it. Carefully, I picked my way along, and landed quiet as I could on the shore of the island. I was sure either Dovepaw or Jayfeather would have sensed me by now. As I strode forward, squeezing silently under bushes, I felt unease ripple through the crowd ahead of me. They had picked up my scent. There was no way to back out now. I had to do this, for the sake of all the Clans living by the lake.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped out into the clearing.


	2. Received

**AUTHOR NOTE: I've decided that from this chapter onwards the story will be in different POV's. P.S. Sorry about lengthy disclaimer from last time – I'm often either delirious or paranoid.**

ECHOFALL POV

I was immediately greeted by an arena of hostile stares and bristling fur. I looked straight ahead. Inside, I was shaking like a leaf in wind, but outside, I met the Gathering with an unblinking glare. A smoky black tom, with a musky scent like the moorland, hissed, "I smell kittypet." I whipped my head around. Okay, now I was angry. I remembered this tom's story exactly. Once, I had felt pity for him. I still did. But now that I was actually meeting him, I wanted to sock him over the head, even though the reason for it was unbeknown to the Clans yet. "Shut up, Crowfeather," I growled. Yowls of fury went up around WindClan, but I raised my voice as loud as I could. "I have come to speak to the leaders." Immediately, the whole clearing was silent, shock pulsing out around me. I looked up, searching for the flame-coloured tom on the tree. There he was – in all his glory and splendour as I once imagined him. But now, I hated to admit it…he looked old, as though all the seasons had really, physically taken their toll. As I studied him, I tried to avert my attention from the base of the tree. The deputies were all staring at me with suspicious eyes, but it was the medicine cats beside them that really made me uncomfortable. Their eyes all beheld a strange curiosity. And as I held my gaze at Firestar, I tried my best to ignore the sightless blue eyes on the periphery, and the gleaming golden and black pelts just tail lengths away.

All the leaders were staring at me with genuine wonder in their eyes. Except, of course, Blackstar, whose face was twisted in a leering sneer. "Leaders," I repeated. "My…my name is Echofall. I was recently…contacted by StarClan. They have asked me to come and…and live with the Clans," I finished lamely. What sort of an introduction was that? But I wasn't met by any display of hostility now. The leaders' eyes were fixed on me. I stared back in unblinking challenge. At last, Firestar responded, "Did they specify which Clan you are to live with? For then you can discuss your purpose with its leader." That was a shocker. I would have thought he'd ask me why I was here. But, as I perceived, Blackstar wasn't happy with Firestar's response. "Another stray, Firestar?" he growled. "You have already poisoned the blood of the Clans enough with your kittypets and loners. I suggest we drive her out of here." And I don't know how I found my voice, but I called out, "Would you dare defy the will of StarClan?" Gasps echoed around the clearing, stunned silence following, and quiet, urgent murmuring around the edges of the clearing. Blackstar's hackles raised, but I stood my ground. I had respect for him, and I didn't want to fight, so before Firestar could make peace to the looming skirmish (as usual), I said, "Three cats from StarClan came to me in a dream. They have bestowed upon me the honour of living with the clans, and I hold much respect for your ways and your statuses." Leopardstar spoke up. "This is a most intriguing young cat. How do you know so much about Clan life?" I recognised the curiosity tinged with slyness in her voice. She was trying to weasel information out of me in case I wasn't staying with RiverClan. I replied coldly, "That is to be shared only with the leader of the clan in which I am staying." She let out a _humph_ and remained quiet.

After some moments of silence, Onestar said, "What do you leaders think of this?" Blackstar snarled, "Idiotic, of course. She will be just like Sol, ruining our clans. Send her away." I tried to keep my fur flat in anticipation. "Leopardstar?" I could sense her indecision. Finally, she said, "I for one believe she could be a valuable addition in our Clans. I say leave her be." "As you know, am open to her arrival," said Firestar. "You've always been generous, Firestar," murmured Onestar. In a clearer voice, he said, "I agree with the other two leaders. Echofall shall stay." As some of part of the Clans cheered, I noticed Blackstar slump lower on the branch. I tried not to let my whiskers twitch. _Serves him right,_ I snorted inwardly. _HE'S the idiot_. And once I'd thought that, and saw another set of whiskers twitch beside the deputies, I mentally cuffed myself. _Stupid, stupid, stupid! He can read minds, remember? _And then I cuffed myself again, because his whiskers twitched even more.

LIONBLAZE POV

I stared blankly at the tortoiseshell she-cat in front of me. _ StarClan sent her? To help the Clans?_ Doubt rocked me. She didn't _look_ like a messenger from StarClan. Scrawny and petite, she just looked like a kittypet. Then again, Jayfeather was _also_ relatively small, but he was one of the main parts of a huge prophecy. I looked across at him; perhaps he knew something about it. Then again, he would have told me. I saw his whiskers twitching, more and more with each passing second. Echofall was tense, looking right at my brother. Confused, I turned to Hollyleaf to see her reaction. "What's she doing here?" She hissed. I was taken aback by her hostility. "Couldn't you smell her coming?" "Mouse-brain!" she retorted. "Of course I could! I _meant_," she said, slowly, like talking to a kit. "Why is she here?" I looked her in the eye. "Why would I know the answer?" "Because _you_ know _everything_!"

I bit back a terse response. I couldn't really blame her. She was really annoyed at Jayfeather and I for not revealing the secret of the catmint, but that was because she would have shredded us for a couple of mousetails. Ignoring her leering stare, I looked back at Echofall, standing tall among the suspicious glares of the other clans.

"Well then," demanded Onestar. "Which clan did StarClan tell you to live with?" I could see her take a deep breath, as though recalling her dream, though it looked more like she was deciding something. At last, she said in a huff, "ThunderClan." A few members of ShadowClan and WindClan rejoiced the fact that she wasn't joining those Clans, but most of those gathered merely murmured, shooting swift glances at Echofall time and again. I could see her gaze travel quietly among us, as though searching out someone. I noticed that she deliberately changed direction whenever she reached me, Hollyleaf or Jayfeather. Strange.

RiverClan had been silent most of the event, and their eyes held the obvious indecision shared by their leader. They looked as though they were weighing up the pros and cons of the situation. I could almost _see_ Leopardstar debating in her mind. And then I realised: RiverClan was trying to conceal _jealousy _with uncertainty. I laughed inwardly. _Lucky us_. Or were we really that lucky?

JAYFEATHER POV

There was something strange about this new cat. She looked like a kittypet, but held herself with the grace of a warrior. I heard her thoughts. Strange though; I'd never sensed a cat thinking more in _words _than pictures. As I entered her mind, I heard her sneering inwardly at Blackstar, imagining him falling off the branch of the Great Oak into a pile of fox dung. I couldn't help but twitch my whiskers. I laughed even more when I heard her hit herself inwardly. I stopped laughing when I realised why. _How had she known I could read minds?_ Across the clearing, Lionblaze and Hollyleaf were arguing. _About this new cat's arrival?_

I jolted back into reality as I heard Leopardstar hastily draw the Gathering to a close. Desperate to get back to camp and find out about this new cat – and how much she knew – I shouldered through the throng of cats rushing for the treebridge. Moonhigh was long past, and there wasn't much time left till dawn. As I hopped off onto the shore, I sensed Echofall and Firestar talking in hushed tones behind me. Straining my ears to pick up what they were saying, I caught, "Were you a rogue or..." "...just came tonight..." "...did you know..." "Back at camp...listening..." I flinched. Somehow, she knew I could hear her.

As the patrol padded into the moonlit camp, Firestar whispered, "Brambleclaw, Sandstorm, Graystripe, Jayfeather – I want you all under the rockfall now." I knew the exact reason. As we settled ourselves down on the ground, I sensed unease alight in every mind, including mine. "Echofall," said Firestar. "Please tell us – how much do you know?" "Enough," she said in strong, clear voice. "Enough that StarClan has forbade me revealing any of my knowledge to you." "Why?" asked Brambleclaw. "How do you know so much?" Fear and guilt pulsed out of her, and I could almost hear her say, _what if_? Confused, I listened intently. She took a deep breath and sighed. "I wasn't a cat when I was born." The wave of shock surrounding me nearly bowled me over. "What do you mean?" I asked, eager to get answers. I noticed how her eyes slid towards mine, not quite meeting them. She hurriedly looked back to the others. I could sense sadness in her as she looked away. And something more as she closed her eyes. "You must trust me," she said, as she opened a stone gaze on us. "You mustn't cast me out. You must promise to accept – and not to reveal – the truth. StarClan chose me for a reason." Sandstorm looked sympathetically at her. "You can trust us, Echofall," she whispered. Echofall breathed out in resignation. "I used to be a Twoleg." "What? How is that possible?" I heard Graystripe's hardly contained gasp. "There have been..I mean...you have..." she sighed again. "Stories have been told about you in my world. Even past this moment. I have...heard...all the stories. I know them all by heart. They are your future. That's why I can't say anything to you," she said sadly, looking around at our astonished faces. I hardly heard her say the next sentence. _Twoleg? Stories? They knew about us?_ My mind was a whirlwind. "I know too much. I know everything that happens from this point on." "Then," I asked slowly, trying to hide my confusion. "Why are you here?" She blinked with guilt, under the weight of her knowledge; I could sense her turmoil in my mind. When Echofall met my eyes, the emotions inside were so jumbled and varied that I couldn't decipher them. "It is not the time for my purpose to be revealed yet," she said. Turning back to the others, she said, "I will help ThunderClan as best I can. When the time is right, all will unravel. I promise. You are my confidants. I place all my trust in you." She met each of our gazes with a fierce stare. She stood, giving the signal that our meeting was over. I stretched, and walked over to the medicine den, as the others fanned out to their own dens. "Follow me, Echofall," I heard Brambleclaw murmur. "I'll find you a nest." But as I brushed through the bramble screen, I could feel her stare bore into my back. I tensed as I heard a clear sentence form in her head. I had a hunch she knew who We were. For the sentence was: _They are still there; the blue sightless eyes staring intently on the periphery, and the gold and black pelts, waiting just tail lengths away. _

**I'll update within the next week; it'll be harder after that cuz Term 3 starts after that, so must prioritize. Hopefully it'll stay at every fortnight. Please review!**


	3. Fire

**Hi guys! Next instalment in KNOWING hits a minor climax. Just a heads up: one slightly major event change; Jayfeather got his name half a moon before the Gathering where Echofall arrived, so Echofall has been in the camp for a half moon and Jayfeather got his name a moon earlier than in the books (i hope that makes sense XD). Also, Foxleap and Icecloud are already warriors, unlike in Long Shadows when they're still Foxpaw and Icepaw. This was just so the events matched up to the climax. Okay then, I'll stop boring you to death and get on with the story. Thanks for the reviews, and I hope you enjoy this next bit!**

ECHOFALL POV

"Settle down, and I'll get everything sorted out, okay?" 

My eyes flicked open. I was still in my nest; the sun was blanked out by the clouds, and the air felt dank and heavy. I stretched, warmly remembering that I had just spent another night in the ThunderClan camp. I scented Jayfeather and Leafpool padding in from their visit to the Moonpool. I heard Brambleclaw ask Jayfeather about a fox. Instantly, fear coursed through me, and I sat straight up. It was like déjà vu. I know what day this is! The blood began pulsing through my ears. _I should tell them! I should tell them! _But I couldn't - it would ruin everything I'd been put in the clan for. Now I realised the torture I would have to endure, watching my friends get hurt. I tried to calm myself, should any cat detect the fear scent coming off me- mingled with unhidden guilt.

A reddish head poked through the entrance of the den, startling me.

"Good morning," said Foxleap. I relaxed, breathing in his comforting scent. 

"Good morning," I said, standing and stretching. I padded out as he ducked back under the branches.

"Has Brambleclaw assigned me to any patrols?" Like I need the answer, I thought sadly.

"No," said Foxleap cheerily, "and I'm not going on any, either!"

I forced a purr. "Do you want to share some fresh kill?"

He nodded, purring, and we headed over to the fresh kill pile. There was a gloriously plump thrush on the top, which we pulled to the halfrock to eat. I looked towards Jayfeather, the only one of the Three still in camp. He sensed me and gave me a friendly nod. I purred properly. I had managed to befriend the Three, and I needed that trust; after tonight I would reveal my knowledge of their existence. They needed to know. And it was time.

As Foxleap went off to say hello to Icecloud, who had just returned from patrol, I padded over to the medicine den.

"Hello, Echofall," said Jayfeather, not looking up from the herbs he was arranging. "Are you okay?"

And then I felt sad again. Seeing him acting so calm and oblivious just made me feel miserable. _Today is going to ruin it all._ "If you count being guilty beyond reason and consumed by fear okay – then yeah, I'm fine."

He turned around, eyes glittering with worry. "Something's happening today?"

I hesitated. I wasn't supposed to reveal anything! I dampened my thoughts, should he pry into them, and replied, "Yes."

Jayfeather nodded, but still looked anxious. "Who will it affect?"  
I immediately stepped back. How could I tell him that this would be a turning point for him and his siblings? How could I explain that everything he'd ever known was a lie? I was meant to be here and watch the events unfold, not to warn these cats and let them prevent them! I looked down, without releasing my thoughts.

"No one you need to worry about," I murmured lamely, backing out, though I could sense his unease alight within the den.

Trying to control the fear-scent coming off me, I padded out into the middle of the clearing, just as Hollyleaf and Ashfur's patrol padded into the camp. No! I had to bite my tongue to keep from yowling out loud. It was too soon! Looking around frantically, I realised that the air had grown heavier. I watched in horror as Hollyleaf grabbed some prey from the fresh kill pile. Not yet! Please, I'm not ready! Not for this! Then, I waited in dread for the wail. Opening my eyes, I realised acting like this would draw attention. _You mustn't alert them, _I thought sadly. _Let them find out for themselves. _And I realised how cruel that was for everyone.

I padded in false calm to the halfrock, where Foxleap and Icecloud were sharing tongues. Time to get them out of here. The wail came, as heavy strikes of lightning clawed the sky in half. Cloudtail stuck his head out of the warriors den.  
"What's happening?"  
I knew exactly what Thornclaw would wail, as Hollyleaf smashed into him. Cruelly torturing myself, I mouthed the words as he shouted,

"The forest is on fire!"

It was only then I realised; I wasn't reading a book anymore. I was caught in a forest fire. Actually in one. On the brink of death if I didn't run.

Snapping back into reality, I nudged Foxleap up. He looked at me, fear wild in his eyes. "What-"  
"Go!" I yowled. "Go, I'll catch up!"  
He looked at me one last time, and we briefly touched noses before he raced off. "Go on!" I yowled to Icecloud, who was still rooted to the spot. I nudged her to her feet and she bounded out behind her brother as Firestar called out for everyone to evacuate to the Twoleg nest. Above me, the trees were caught in a scarlet blanket, rolling over the forest, sending heat waves down on my already scorched fur. I dodged to avoid burning debris, tumbling down as a mass of blackened, blazing leaves and branches rained down into the clearing. What could I have done? I thought. How could I have stopped this? I couldn't! My eyes stung, and not just from the searing heat.  
"Echofall!"  
I screeched as a burning branch smashed down next to me. I ran in a frenzy towards Lionblaze, the only cat I could distinguish through the smoke.

"Are you alright?" he asked as I skidded to a stop beside him. I saw that Jayfeather and Hollyleaf were next to him. This is it!  
"I'm fine!" I yowled over the roar of the storm, before racing off to the entrance. It was up to them now. I could do and say no more.  
"Wait!" he called after me.  
"Stay there!" I screeched over my shoulder. Paws pounding against the steaming earth, I streamed through the tunnel and took off into the forest.

"We're trapped!"

Hollyleaf's yowl of horror sounded distant in my ears as the tunnel burst into flames behind me. Blinking away my stinging tears, I ran through the gorse barrier, sprinting towards the Twoleg nest. 

_This is it_, I thought. _This is when the truth comes out._

**oooooo**

I stared blankly at the singed camp entrance. I was waiting inside with the rest of the Clan. I could never face them again. Tail down and ears flat, I crouched beside Icecloud, who was shivering in shock. Some of the warriors were picking their way around the camp, looking at the horribly charred debris, and trying to distinguish their home from the ruins.

I looked up as I heard the ashen gorse barrier crackle. My heart went straight into my throat, and I had to supress a squeak of horror. Lionblaze, followed by Jayfeather and Hollyleaf, walked into the camp. They all looked wiped out, and their eyes were glazed over. They seemed hardly aware of their clanmates or their camp. _It's all over_, I thought. _It's done. _If I were human, I'd be crying my heart out by now. _So much loss..._

**So...there it is. The forest fire in which all is revealed. But of course, no one can capture the intenisty of that moment like Erin Hunter herself. And if you're wondering, there **_**is **_**a hint at FoxleapXEchofall, but you'll find out why later x) SO PLEASE! Review! You'll get a cookie!  
XFernstrike**


	4. Suspect

**HI GUYSSSSSSSSSS!  
Okay, first: thanks for being so super duper patient with this. I was on hiatus for a while for no good reason so - SORRY . BUT this iss the new chapter :D I'm going to do my best from now on to keep updating, so pleeeeeeeease don't forget about this story.  
Okay, so about this chapter - I wouldn't exactly call it like, a "filler", but it's not really a huuuge part of the story. Trust me that the next cahpter will be :P BUT - please enjoy this chapter for what it is :D THANKS!**

My paws thumped to the ground, and I sat back on my haunches, watching the vole disappear into the undergrowth. "Mouse dung..." I muttered.  
"Echofall!" called Thornclaw from somewhere behind me.  
Sighing, I trudged back through the ferns to the rest of the hunting patrol. Thornclaw, Berrynose and Ashfur had all caught some prey, however scrawny said prey might be. I felt beyond guilty.  
"I'm sorry," I murmured. "I struck out."  
Thornclaw nodded, and we began to walk back to camp. I sighed again. It had been three days, and in all that time I'd only caught one starling; a starling with a broken wing. And I was stuffing up my training with Brackenfur. I was being put on less and less patrols and had to resort to spending my days alone and ridiculously depressed around camp. The things I'd learned about fighting and hunting had all seemed to dissolve into the frosty leafbare. The fire had changed everything.

"Echofall," Thornclaw muttered in my ear as we plodded along. "I know times are tough now, but if...something's keeping you from being a warrior to your best, I'd advise you to take it up with Firestar." I slowed, my head drooping, but Thornclaw walked on ahead, blinking sympathetically.

Shaking my head, I trailed behind the group, dreading the hungry eyes of the clan that awaited me. It had been the hardest leafbare in a long time, and many of us were sick or starving. Camp duties were spread thickly whilst food was spread thinly. Cats were tired and miserable, and threats on our borders left us worse off than ever. _And I can't help them again. _

I socked myself inwardly. Again, I was thinking about me. Me and what I was 'going through'. Me and what I couldn't do. Wallowing in self-pity. What about them? They were worse off than me by a long shot. All this crazy stuff happening when they didn't need it. When they didn't know it. _How confused they must be feeling. Confused, and sad, and hurt, and frightened, and - _

Someone nudged me roughly into a patch of brambles. _Ouch!  
_ I squirmed round until I was out in the fern clearing on the other side. I stood up and shook out my fur, the little bramble thorns falling quietly to the ground. "What the hell?" I muttered. I turned to the other side of the clearing to walk out, and found an unexpected obstacle blocking my exit.

"Ashfur," I said wearily. It was a statement, not a question.  
"I know you know something," he said darkly, eyes glinting in the weak, shafts of sun. I took a step back, and he took several forward, closing the distance between us quickly, until I could feel his warm breath on my muzzle. I shuddered.  
"What are you talking about?" I asked, feigning innocence. But then something inside me sparked. He suspected me. Those five little words spoke volumes. How close he was to the truth stirred up my adrenaline, and I nudged him backwards. "What do I know about anything?"

"I saw the way you looked after the fire," he growled. "Exactly the way..._they _had looked," he said, spitting out the word. I flinched. He began pacing back and forth.  
"You didn't look shocked. Confused. Frightened," he said, and I shrunk down. It was like he could read minds.

"You looked wiped out," he continued. "Like you knew too much. Like you knew already." He stopped, and looked at me head on. He stepped forward again, and I was backed against the sharp brambles. My feet crunched into the loose thorns and I had to bite my tongue to keep from crying out.

"But how could you have known?" he snarled. "You. Weren't. There." I winced, and tried playing dumb.  
"I...I don't know where you're talking about. When you're -"  
His claws had pinned me to the ground before I even had an opportunity think. In a heartbeat I was staring up into his blue eyes that glinted with undisguised menace; his hot breath flamed my cheeks and the sudden weight of his pounce had knocked the breath out of me. My heart was beating a tattoo, so loud I was sure he could hear. At that terrible, still moment, a single phrase was scurrying through my head, over and over. _Oh my god! Oh my god! _He wouldn't kill me. Why should he? He didn't have his proof yet. But I was afraid, and he knew it. He would use that.

"You're lying," he whispered, and as I looked up at him, into that face etched with anger, hate, and sadness, I could tell he could read the truth in my eyes.

The world had begun to swirl around me. My head wasn't thinking straight. I felt miserable, and dizzy, and scared, like the cold, frost-tipped air itself was weighing down on me. "Get away from me...!" I yowled shakily, knocking him to the ground. Then I sprang away from the ferns at full pelt, without a glance back.

I needed to get away from it all. I couldn't take it. It was all too much. I was streaming past the bushes, not caring when I crashed into the brush, fur snagging on the branches behind. I finally stopped at the edge of the Clan territory, overlooking the unclaimed land beyond.

After the endless running that did nothing but tire me out, I stumbled and leaned wearily against a wizened old treeI. Looking out towards the ShadowClan side, I caught a glimpse of the little house where the monster Sol had been banished to. My curiosity sparked, and I took a few unsteady steps forward, before stopping myself. I didn't know if the loner was still there, but I wasn't about to go and find out. _I don't need that as well..._

I backed away, and curled up into a little hollow at the base of the tree. Settling down inside, I put my head on my paws and closed my eyes in quite resignation. _Why can you never wish it all away?_

**oooo**

_Echofall._

No. Leave me alone.

_Echofall._

Please. I didn't do anything.

I could feel myself rising out of the sightless, ice-cold blackness. It was still behind me, but I could see a small patch of bright white light ahead. It was the moon, shining through the canopy of trees above the camp. Except...it felt to quiet to be a camp.  
Without warning, a feline silhouette loomed up from the shadows surrounding the edges of the camp, and within moments the shape solidified. A grey tabby with misty blue eyes. _Jayfeather!_

"Echofall," he breathed. His eyes were bitter, filled with sadness and disappointment. "How could you?"  
"We trusted you!"  
_Hollyleaf!  
_"You're a liar. Just like them."  
I flinched at the cutting words, and looked up to see Lionblaze's golden pelt, ruffled in anger.

"You'd known everything all along, but you kept it a secret," they chorused together. I whimpered. Hollyleaf's voice was choked with pain, Lionblaze's was quiet but filled with anger, and Jayfeather...his voice was just sheer disapproval. Disapproval and sadness. That harmony of all horrible feelings, mixed with those disappointed words, just crashed right down on me.

"Echofall."

A kind voice was rising out of the darkness. I spun around, breathing in relief. The sweet scent brought me comfort, and seeing the tortoiseshell fur flecked with starlight banished all the fear. "Echofall," repeated Spottedleaf. "Understand that what you believe to be true isn't always the truth. Your friends trust you," she murmured, running her tail along my flank. "If they didn't, they wouldn't be looking for you right now."

I looked up at her, surprised. "What?"  
"Leave this dream behind you, and return to the 's time" I looked into her eyes, searching for an answer, only to find them fading away into the dark. The shadows of the three behind me dissipated as well, and I felt myself rising up, up, and out of the black...

A moment later, I opened my eyes onto the night-darkened forest floor. Up above, the stars gazed silently down. "Time for what?" I asked the empty air, even though I understood what I had to do. I stood up and stretched, ready to return to camp.

"_Come _on, _guys!_"

I froze. Fear pulsed through me. _Could it be...?_ I strained my ears to listen.

_"Maybe by the WindClan border? We haven't checked there yet."  
"Oh come on, Lionblaze. It's the middle of the night, and it's freezing. I'm not about to trek halfway across the territory looking for her."  
"Why don't we just go further up the border? We can ignore the idea about a full circuit, and just cut through the middle if we don't find anything.  
"Thank you, Jayfeather! Finally somebody who's _not _a mousebrain."_

I could still hear Lionblaze protesting about WindClan, but I wasn't really listening. I was trying to figure out what to say to them. Saying sorry wouldn't do any good. I had to jump for the real reason I wanted to speak with them. _I know who you three really are. I'm here to help you. _How could I explain myself? 'I'm here to help you' doesn't say much. They way I understood it was like I was some sort of intuition for them. Or something.

I stood up and stretched, then quietly padded round the tree, heading down the slope towards the Twoleg clearing. Halting behind a bush, I sniffed, and was both relieved and alarmed to find that the scent of the three of them was stagnant. _They were standing just in front of me!_  
"Hello?" called Hollyleaf. "Whoever you are, we can smell you!"  
"If you're ShadowClan, you're on the wrong side of the border!" growled Lionblaze. I could hear his solid footsteps crunching over the dead leaves, the growl still grumbling in his throat.  
"No, stop!" I cried out, stepping out from behind the bush. Lionblaze looked at me blankly. "Echofall." Jayfeather was the first to speak, bluntly, his sightless blue eyes clouded.  
"I need to talk to you guys," I improvised. What else could be said?  
"We need to talk to you to," said Hollyleaf flatly. "About what happened that day."  
I could feel my heart hammering in my chest. Whatever was said now could change the course of what was to come. I sat down, curling my tail round my paws. "I have alot to tell you."

They listened intently the whole way as I told my story. Lionblaze followed with an anxious look on his face, flinching or fidgeting at odd moments. Jayfeather sat listening still as a rock; his hard blue eyes that couldn't see anything made me nervous, like they were boring right into me. I tried to keep my mind blank. But Hollyleaf...every moment her eyes widened more, her fur stood up straighter, her claws scored the ground deeper, her shivering became more violent. But I had to go and out with it.

"So I know you are the Three," I concluded with a sigh, trying to sum up everything as easily as I could. "I have to guide you in all you do. But I can't tell you anything. That's all I can say that'll explain it." And facing me were three cats who looked as confused as I felt.

**OKAY HAPPY PEOPLE - I hope you enjoyed that :P Just something to keep the story going. I think I might be able to have a new chapter up by Sunday, so fingers crossed xD  
Thanks for reading and please review! :)  
**


	5. IMPORTANT: Author's Note

**A/N: This is to all my lovely reviewers: Fernstrike has some possibly scary news for you. **

**Due to time constraints inside **_**and **_**outside of school, I've decided to put this story on hiatus for the moment. I will be focusing on 'His Butler, Transported' and quite possibly 'Once a Squib' (but that one might have to be put on hold too!). **

**I'm so sorry to have to bring this news to you guys, because really, I love every single on of your reviews. Whenever I see the notice for one pop up in my email it's an effort to contain a SQUEE! of joy. **

**I'd just like to thank you for all your support of this story, and I can't promise when I'll be back but hopefully before July comes round. And please, if you're interested in any of the other fandoms I write about (**_**Kuroshitsuji, Harry Potter) **_**please go take a look!**

**By the way….**

**All you amazing reviewers get cookies and plushies and all assortment of virtual randoms I could give you.**

**I heart you guys :') Seeya soon!**

**xFernstrike**


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